A letter
from
the Board of Directors
The Center: Creating
Colorado’s LGBT Legacy

2

Board Chair
Barbara R.
Harrison

Board Chair
Christopher
K. M. Leach

Board of
Directors

010 was the year the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual
and Transgender Community Center of
Colorado made the leap from “merely”
making history as one of the oldest LGBT Centers
in the country to establishing a legacy for LGBT
Coloradans by becoming one of only a small
percentage of LGBT Centers across the country to
own their own building.
On July 6, 2010 The Center moved into its
new home at 1301 East Colfax Avenue, right
in the heart of Denver’s historic Capitol Hill
“Gayborhood.” For the first time in The Center’s
35-year history, we owned our own building.
This move was the realization of the hopes and
dreams of so many in the Colorado LGBT and
allied community. A reward for all the blood,
sweat, and tears shed by those of you who
have wished and worked so hard for so long to
create not just a safe space for Colorado’s LGBT
community, but a true and permanent home of
our very own.
tanding on the rooftop of our new building
at The Center’s Grand Opening - addressing
the hundreds of Center donors and
supporters who made the move possible – we
were suffused with overwhelming feelings of
warmth, pride and a sense of accomplishment. It

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was a feeling that we will never forget. The move
was a risk but it was a risk we gladly took for
the community and it was a risk that paid off in
spades. And it couldn’t have happened without
you, The Center’s donors and supporters.
The Center’s new home is our gift – our legacy
– to future generations of lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender Coloradans who, because of
your commitment and generosity, will be secure
in the knowledge that they have a home that
nobody can ever take away from them. A place
where they belong. A safe place. A place for our
LGBT Elders to meet for coffee and conversation;
a place where our LGBT youth can be who
they are and free from bullying and hate; and
a place where the community can plan and
gather to continue the fight for LGBT equality
and acceptance in years to come, not only in
Colorado but throughout the nation.
he poet Robert Frost said,“Home is the
place where, when you have to go there,
they have to take you in.” The Center is our
home and our home is the legacy we leave
to future generations of lesbian, gay, bisexual,
and transgender Coloradans. We thank you for
creating a home for LGBT Colorado. We thank you
for creating this legacy.

“Home is the place where,
when you have to go there,
they have to take you in.”
– Robert Frost

A

Executive Director

Carlos Martinez

The Center:
Who We
Are, What
We Do
and What
it Means
To You

s we here at The Center continue to settle into our
new home and look ahead to our 35th anniversary
in 2011, we feel that it is important to look back
over the past year and communicate with our donors,
supporters, and constituents about who we are as an
organization, how we have evolved over the years,
where we’re going in the future, and just exactly what
The Center means to the LGBT people of Colorado that
it serves.
Established in 1976, The Center is one of the oldest
LGBT centers in the country. And while half of all LGBT
centers have budgets of less than $50,000 and no fulltime staff, The Center has an annual budget of over $2
million and a full-time staff of 15. We are also among
a small percentage of LGBT centers that own their own
building. This means that Colorado’s LGBT community
will never know what it means to be without a safe and
permanent home to call its own.
Why is this so vitally important? According to
CenterLink (www.CenterLink.com), an online community
of LGBT centers, centers such as ours serve a vital role
in their communities across the country. They are often
the only staffed non-profit LGBT presence in the area
and are usually the first point of contact for people
seeking information about LGBT issues, coming out,
accessing services and programs, or organizing for
social change.
aving finally moved into our home at 1301 E.
Colfax Avenue on July 6 of last year, The Center
now has 15,000 square feet of space in our new
facility – twice the size of most LGBT centers nationally.
Your ongoing support has not only allowed us to double
our space with the new building, but it has also enabled
us to increase the services and programming we offer

to the community, our visibility statewide, and our online
presence and resources. In addition, we have created
a vibrant new image with a new logo and aggressive
branding campaigns, put on the biggest and best
PrideFest ever, expanded inclusivity in the community,
and raised almost $3 million with our capital campaign.
he Center is proud to have accomplished so much
in 2010 and grateful to those of you who have
helped us do so. All of this is made possible thanks
to your unwavering support of the Colorado LGBT and
allied community. Each year, you give your time, you
contribute financially, and you provide feedback to
help us get better. As we embark on our next threeyear strategic plan, we look forward to your continued
support and inspiration. With it, we know that we can
accomplish our goal of becoming the premier LGBT
organization in the Rocky Mountain region.

The Center thanks our
Community Advisory
Committees for all of their
hard work in 2010:

Heather Nevill

Kyle Courtney Velte

Athemessage from

Eleanor Dewey, Rainbow Alley peer staff
The Board of The Center would
like to extend their deepest
gratitude to the team that
made our new home
possible including:
Fransen-Pittman
Studio DH
Jones Corp.
City Projects
RDM Communications

n 2010, Rainbow Alley averaged more than
600 visits each month to the youth drop-in
space where all activities are created and run
by youth-participants with trained adults providing
supervision. With increased reports of teen
bullying and, tragically, a rash of highly publicized
teen suicides in 2010, safe places for LGBT and
questioning youth are more important than ever.
Rainbow Alley provides resources, counseling
and a social outlet for youth ages 12-21.
Programming in Rainbow Alley includes Education
4 Action, a grassroots organizing and leadership
program; Sex@Six, teaching youth to consider
both the physical and emotional aspects of sex
and sexuality; Dinner and a Movie, which provides
a meal and substance-free social activities on
Saturday nights; and the Qings and Kweens
dance troupe and as well as a theater troupe to
encourage participation in the arts. All of these
programs help youth build confidence and selfassurance while encouraging them to explore
their interests and become more well-rounded
individuals.
Services offered to the youth at Rainbow Alley
include a daily group check-in with youth and staff
members to air any concerns or problems they
are facing in their lives; a weekly support group
with a Licensed Professional Counselor for more
in-depth exploration of issues; and a weekly clinic
with a Registered Nurse from Rocky Mountain
Youth Clinics to receive free STI testing and seek
medical treatment.

Rainbow Alley
Peer Staff Jay-Lo

LGBT youth can often
feel socially and
emotionally isolated
in their lives. Studies
show that youth who
have access to LGBTsupportive programs
like Rainbow
Alley are happier,
healthier, and do
better in school than
those who do not.

n addition to regular programming, Rainbow
Alley offers special events throughout the year,
cosponsoring the annual Queer Youth Summit
in February, throwing Queer Prom in May, hosting
Youth Alley at PrideFest in June and the annual
fundraiser, Gaybutante, in October, which honors
youth who share their inspiring coming-out stories
in front of a large group of supportive adults.
Rainbow Alley staff also work on outreach in
the community to talk about their programming
and the importance of eliminating discrimination
against LGBT youth in schools and other youthserving organizations. They work with many
community organizations to ensure that LGBT
and questioning youth aren’t left feeling alone or
isolated, and that the challenges unique to LGBT
youth are considered in programs such as Child
Protective Services or mental health facilities.
In the fall of 2010, Rainbow Alley partnered
with One Colorado, The Healthy Colorado Youth
Alliance and Denver Public Schools to work on
programs to eliminate bullying in the DPS school
system.

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he Center’s Transgender Programs were run by the Transgender
Community Advisory Committee in 2010. The committee
produced the Trans Rest and Resource area at PrideFest in
June, offering a gathering point for the transgender community
at the festival, and resources for support and services. In August
they hosted a community potluck in collaboration with The Gender
Identity Center of Colorado. The event was used as an open house to
gauge the climate within the transgender community and to collect
information regarding their wants and needs for services.
Trans 101 was a seminar held at The Center in the fall to educate
those outside the community on what it means to be transgender.
The course tackled many issues, including the difference between
sexual orientation and gender, the correct use of pronouns, gender
identity versus gender expression, and the legal protections afforded
to transgender people. The transgender community still faces
many obstacles to full acceptance, even amongst the gay, lesbian
and bisexual community, and The Center is working diligently to
overcome these hurdles.

•

“It will be the first transgender job fair ever in a noncoastal city,” said Courtney Gray of TCAP’s Transgender
Job Fair.“I think it is going to be a wonderful resource for
Colorado – and the region’s – transgender community.”

P R OF I L E

L

Alison Dozier

Rainbow Alley Volunteer
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icensed professional counselor Alison Dozier has
been a volunteer adult mentor at Rainbow Alley for
two years. She spends time with youth in the drop-in
space, offering a compassionate ear and the insight born
of experience – resources she wishes had been available
to her when she was growing up in Moscow, Idaho.
When she was a junior in high school, Dozier told her
guidance counselor that she was dating a girl and she
asked the counselor how other LGBT kids dealt with their
sexual orientation while in high school.
“She told me I had two choices: ‘You can either stay
in the closet until college or you can drop out,’“ Dozier

recalled.“Her message to me was ... absolutely not here.
You can’t come out of the closet here.”
Not surprisingly, Alison stayed in the closet in high
school due to small town attitudes and prejudice, which
is why she thinks it’s vitally important to have a space like
Rainbow Alley where youth feel safe to be themselves.
“The environment the kids create at the Alley makes
it easier for LGBT and questioning youth to be who they
are,” she said.
That’s the difference she hopes to make by being
involved with Rainbow Alley – to allow youth the
opportunities she didn’t have, to grow into the people
they truly are in an affirming environment. Alison and
all the mentors in Rainbow Alley are making an impact
on the lives of LGBT youth. The Center’s surveys have
shown that youth who spend time in Rainbow Alley feel
more positive about the future and more connected to a
community than before they became involved with the
program, and that is truly a legacy worth creating.

•

Bridging divides and fostering a sense of community

P R OF I L E

Youth Alley at PrideFest

Rainbow Alley
mentor knows first-hand
how isolating being
different can be

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ecuring employment in the face of discrimination is one of
the transgender communities greatest challenges. To assist
with this, the Transgender Community Advisory Committee is
organizing the Transgender Career Advancement Project (TCAP).
Planned for production in the spring of 2011, the project consists
of topics from resume writing to personal presentation to one’s
legal rights once hired. All of this preparation will pay off at the
Transgender Job Fair in May, 2011. The project’s goal is to recruit 10
companies to participate in the job fair, presenting participants with
the chance to network, practice interviewing skills and, with any luck,
land their next job. •

ourtney Gray’s volunteer work with The
Center is all about overcoming divides,
building community and fostering
understanding.
“One of my biggest goals in my volunteerism
is to bring the trans community together, past its
internal and agency divides,” said Courtney.
Courtney came to The Center several years
ago looking for community. She did a number of
different volunteer jobs, including working at the
front desk. As a volunteer, she saw transgender
people coming to The Center looking for advice,
resources and direction. The experiences inspired
her to take a more active approach.
“Information has to be made available,”
Courtney said, adding that information providers
need training on how to talk to transgender
people.

Cody Ortiz-Oldham first came to The Center as a
Rainbow Alley youth in 1997 and has maintained
ties ever since. Ortiz-Oldham has been co-chair
of the Transgender CAC for the past year and is
proud of taking the committee from an abstract
concept to a concrete program benefitting the
transgender community.
“It’s like a dream to see the Transgender CAC
come into creation,” said Ortiz-Oldham.“Trans
resources have really come a long way in recent
years and I think some of the greatest resources
an organization can provide are helping folks to
find jobs and offering healthy support groups and
social events where people can find community.

•
5
5

P

PrideFest Performer

With attendance of
300,000 people over the
weekend, the economic
impact created for
the city of Denver by
PrideFest is estimated to
be $25 million.

P R OF I L E

Latin Stage Entertainer Antonio Reyna

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rideFest celebrated its 35th anniversary in
2010, and for this momentous occasion, they
pulled out all the stops. PrideFest 2010 was
the largest on record, with more than 300,000
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and
their allies coming to Civic Center Park on June
19th and 20th to celebrate the movement for their
equality.
PrideFest is uniquely positioned as the one time
each year that every contingent and clique of our
community gathers to celebrate the strides that
we have made toward equality and justice. The
festival is an open invitation and offers something
for everyone. Youth Alley is an area dedicated to
youth under the age of 24, free of alcohol and
tobacco, and introduces youth to resources and
services available to them such as HIV testing
or opportunities to become involved in the arts.
The Center’s Transgender Community Advisory
Committee hosted a Transgender Rest and
Resource Area, and SAGE of the Rockies had its
own delegation in the parade that marched to a
choreographed routine using walkers.
aturday once again featured PrideFest’s
Family Fun day, featuring the Kids Parade,
field day games, the Dogs in Drag contest,
birds of prey from the Raptor Education
Foundation, and activities for kids throughout
the day. The 2nd Annual Denver Dyke March
happened Saturday afternoon, beginning with
a political rally followed by a march down
Colfax and into the park. Saturday also saw
performances by singer Coles Whalen and

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PrideFest Production
Volunteers Extraordinaire

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avid Garcia and Matthew Carver have
been deeply involved with PrideFest for a
number of years. As volunteer Quadrant
Coordinators, they are onsite for the entire
festival, from Friday’s setup until the end of tear
down Sunday night. These are two dedicated
volunteers.

comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer.
Sunday morning kicked off with the PrideFest
Parade. To commemorate the 35th anniversary,
individuals who have made great impact on
Colorado’s LGBT community were invited to
participate as Grand Marshals of the parade,
representing each decade of the movement’s
history. Sunday afternoon feature the festivals
headlining entertainers, En Vogue. Audience
members packed the coliseum area surrounding
the main stage and enjoyed a rousing
performance by the iconic band.
ew to PrideFest in 2010 was the addition
of a Country Stage. Billed as the OutWest
Country stage, festival goers were treated
to line dancing lessons, a Cowboy Church service
on Sunday morning, exhibitions from Denver’s
LGBT square dancing team the Rocky Mountain
Rainbeaus as well as plenty of opportunities
to line dance and two-step on the dance floor
themselves.
The Center’s Something for Everyone Capital
Campaign hosted a booth at PrideFest and saw
great results. Members of The Center’s Board
of Directors staffed the booth both days of the
festival, and talked with community members
about opportunities to support the campaign. In
total, 67 new donors committed to the campaign,
with many of them joining the $27.77 club, which
offers a $1,000 donation broken into monthly
payments over the course of 36 months. •

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The couple originally met while living in
Sacramento, California. It was only after David
had moved to Denver in February of 2005,
however, that they reconnected, while he was
on a return trip home, and became a couple.
Shortly after, Matthew moved to Denver as well,
and the two have been inseparable since.
David first started volunteering at the
front desk at The Center in 2007 as a way to
contribute and connect with the community. He
was recruited to work at that year’s PrideFest
by The Center’s Volunteer Coordinator. It was
in his second year, though, that he took on
the responsibilities of Quadrant Coordinator
(QC), assisting with the onsite production and
execution of the festival.
Matthew assisted David the first year he was
a QC, and was then thrown into the position
himself the next year after another volunteer
decided he couldn’t be so heavily involved at

the last minute. That was two years ago. In
the years since, David and Matthew have both
looked forward to spending PrideFest working
behind the scenes.
“I love it. Each year I say I’m not going to
do it again, but I always end up coming back
because it’s so fun,” said David.
When asked to recall favorite memories
of PrideFest, David said,“The people. It’s
nice to get the picture of what goes on in the
background and the people are just really
great.”
“The dancing cowboys on the country stage,”
said Matthew with a mischievous grin.
PrideFest is a celebration of community and
The Center would be hard pressed to produce
the festival for the LGBT community without the
dedication and generosity of volunteers like
David and Matthew. •

SAGE
of the Rockies

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AGE of the Rockies (SAGE) had a banner
year in 2010. After winning a grant from
SAGE, the national organization of which the
program is an affiliate, in February, the Program
Coordinator and two community members
traveled to Long Island, NY to participate in
SAGE’s Constituent Advocacy Training Program.
The program educates elders on public policy
that affects them and some of the challenges
they will face as they age, and prepares them
to become advocates for themselves and their
peers.
In June, SAGE of the Rockies received a grant
from the Colorado Culture Change Accountability
Board, and began working with Piñon
Management in their Parkview Care Center to
address the needs of LGBT elders living in longterm care facilities. Together they are developing
a program to educate staff and residents about
the LGBT community, address misconceptions
and prejudices, and bring about a change in
culture within the facility. This program will
then be replicated to improve the lives of all
LGBT elders living in long-term care facilities
throughout the state.
n October, the inaugural SAGE of the Rockies
Regional Conference on Aging was held in
Denver. The central theme of the conference
was helping elders address the question ‘Where
will I live as I age, and who will care for me?’
Over 200 elders attended workshops on housing
options, end of life planning, spirituality and
holistic health, social media, and a myriad of
other topics.

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P R OF I L E

PRIDEFEST
Denver PrideFest
Audiences Watch
En Vogue

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Michael King

Center Volunteer

The conference coincided with Gaybutante,
The Center’s annual fundraiser for Rainbow Alley,
and it was featured as the conference’s Saturday
night event. The evening was a wonderful
comingling of different generations of the LGBT
community and an overall success.
n addition to these highlights, SAGE of the
Rockies continued to host its regular programs.
Each week elders congregated at The Center
for Tuesday Morning Coffee, an informal gathering
of conversation and support, a caregivers
support group, and a grief support group for
those who have lost a partner. SAGE of the
Rockies also offered workshops on medication
management with a Geriatric Pharmacist, a
safe driving course offered in conjunction with
AARP, financial planning seminars, and yoga
classes. Elders from SAGE of the Rockies also
attended four Breakfast and The Opera outings,
watching recorded performances from the New
York Metropolitan Opera in a movie theater, as
well a special viewing of the King Tut exhibition
at the Denver Art Museum. SAGE of the Rockies
has created an active and vibrant community of
LGBT elders, fighting isolation among them and
enhancing the quality of life for all.

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SAGE of the Rockies Meeting

Capital Campaign Donor Leonard
Samson and SAGE of the Rockies
Coordinator Ken Helander
SAGE of the Rockies won
the 2010 Partner of the Year
Award from AARP of Colorado
for collaboration on multiple
projects, especially the SAGE
of the Rockies Regional
Conference on Aging.

•

t took Michael King almost 70 years to
come to terms with his sexuality. But after
attending Denver PrideFest three years ago
and becoming involved with first the Colorado
Prime Timers and then The Center’s SAGE of
the Rockies’ Tuesday Morning Coffee group, in
March of 2010, Michael decided that the time
was finally right to come out to his family.
“It took me a whole lifetime to come to terms
with my issues but after almost 70 years of
confusion I think I’ve finally found what I’m
looking for,” said King.“It started with Tuesday
Morning Coffee and I’ve just gotten more
involved with The Center as time goes by. I now
have something going on six days a week and
I’m no longer spending every day alone with a
bottle of vodka. If I ever won the lottery I would
give a tremendous amount of financial support
to The Center. That’s how much it means to me.”

King is particularly proud of his work with The
Center’s SAGE of the Rockies program, which
offers programming and events specifically
for LGBT people over 50. After only two years
in existence, the program is considered a
particularly vibrant elder program.
“There are so many people who benefit from
The Center,” said King. “But particularly retired
people, it gives them something to do, a reason
to get out of the house. It’s amazing. You never
know who you’re going to meet or what you’ll
talk about at The Center.”

•

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Thelegacy
O

n July 6, 2010, The Center took historic
steps and moved into a new home at 1301
East Colfax Avenue. The first building to be
owned by The Center in its 35-year history, the
undertaking of this project rallied Colorado’s LGBT
citizens into action and made it evident how far,
as a community, they had come.
When one of The Center’s donors, a
gentleman in his 50’s, toured the building for the
first time, tears came to his eyes as he took in all
of the building’s windows. “For so long we had
to meet in places without windows, where you
entered from the alley and the location was kept
secret. We deserve to have all this light now,” he
said.
Fourteen years ago, Linda Harmon and her
students, with the help of The Center’s Legal and
Advocacy Program, sued the Cherry Creek School
District for the right to form Colorado’s first Gay
Straight Alliance at her school. As a straight ally
to the community, she knows the importance
of creating safe spaces for LGBT people to live
authentically. She was motivated to donate to the
capital campaign by the idea of Rainbow Alley
youth having a permanent home, one where they
would never again have to fight for acceptance.
The Center was warmly welcomed by
the Capitol Hill neighborhood and Denver’s
civic leaders. The Center received the 2010
Mayor’s Design Award, the 2010 Project of the
Year-Adaptive Use Award from the Franklin L.
Burns School of Real Estate and Construction
Management-Daniels College of Business at the

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University of Denver, and the Capital Hill United
Neighborhoods Good Neighbor Award.
he garden level of The Center is home to
Rainbow Alley. Youth coming to the drop-in
space are greeted by one of the peer-staff
at the large reception desk, behind which sit
computers for peer staff and interns, lockers
for the youth’s personal belongings and the DJ
booth. After signing in, they are free to hang out
in the lounge area, or hit the Imagination Suite, a
room especially designed for creative endeavors
such as crafts or painting. When hunger strikes,
youth can grab a snack from the kitchen, or if
they’re feeling under the weather, the Wellness
Studio is a fully equipped medical exam room
where they can access health care..
The first floor is where community members
enter the building and sign in at the volunteerstaffed reception booth. Over 460 active
volunteers logged 5,386 hours at The Center
and its events in 2010 which were worth more
than $112,298. The Terry Mangan Memorial
Library, the largest collection of LGBT literature
in Colorado, is around the corner and accessible
to all. Across the southern side of the building is
the Stonewall Suite, one of The Center’s largest
community rooms where many of the 22 outside
groups who meet at The Center convene; among
them 12-step recovery groups, women’s and
men’s groups, the Two Spirit Society, and Unidos
N Orgullo, a Latino LGBT organization.

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November 2008:
Capacity building plan

8

Atop the building rests the rooftop terrace
– 2,000 square feet of mountain and city
views, perfect for fundraisers, events and social
gatherings. A perfect view of the Colorado capitol
dome reminds all who see it that, although much
progress toward equality has been made, there is
still more work to be done.
he Center and the LGBT community are
deeply proud of this new home. It stands as
a monument to what can be accomplished
when all members of the community work
together, pool their resources and assemble with
purpose to create something meaningful. It is
a legacy that will last for generations of LGBT
Coloradans to come.

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•

It’s not too late to be a part of
Something For Everyone, The
Center’s comprehensive capital
campaign!
Join the $27.77 Club and
donate $1,000 over the course of
three years.
Donate $10,000 or more for
a naming opportunity within the
building.
Contact The Center’s Director of
Development and Communications,
Debra Pollock Capital Campaign
Director, for more information at
303.951.5204.

Grand Opening
Attendees
DeMarcio Slaughter
and Shane Hodges

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Grand Opening
Performers the Two
Spirit Society

Grand Opening Attendees
Barb Harrison, Michelle
Cooney, and Friends

T ime l ine
September 2008:
Organizational
readiness plan

he first floor is also home to the Landmark
Legal Suite, where The Center’s Legal Director
works for LGBT equality and interns field calls
on the Legal Helpline. Next door is the Victory
Suite, a midsized meeting room where staff
can often be found meeting with one of the 50
collaborating organizations The Center partners
with. Throughout the building, and the first floor
especially, is the Pride Gallery, wall space to
exhibit the work of local artists.
Across the open library from the Victory Suite
are the Justice and Equality Studios, intimate
rooms perfect for the free HIV testing offered each
week or a private consultation with a community
member in crisis. Next door to these rooms is the
Cyber Center.
The Center’s David Bohnett Cyber Center
received a reboot when The Center moved. The
Cyber Center now houses 10 new computers
each equipped with the Microsoft Office Suite,
Adobe design software and internet access. The
Cyber Center is open to all community members
during Center hours, excluding class times and
Fridays and Saturdays after 5:30 p.m., when it
is reserved for youth under the age of 21 from
Rainbow Alley.
tepping off the elevator onto the second
floor, community members are in the
Legacy Lounge, the space where The
Center recognizes its annual donors. Just off the
Legacy Lounge is the Leadership Suite, a large
conference room where the Board of Directors
holds its meetings, community groups assemble,
and many of the Community Advisory Committees
meet. The east side of the second floor houses
The Center’s administrative offices, a suite of
open-environment offices and the staff meeting
room, the Think Tank.

December 2008:
Development audit
and campaign
feasibility study

May 2009:
The Center closes on
ownership of 1301
E. Colfax Avenue

January 2009:
Board ratifies strategic
plan and campaign
feasibility

August 2009:
Renovations at 1301 E.
Colfax Avenue begin

July 2009:
Capital campaign
cabinet holds first
meeting

November 2009:
Something for Everyone
comprehensive capital
campaign is launched

December 2009:
$2 million raised,
exceeding yearend
goal by $500,000
March 2010:
$27.77 Club is
created to expand
accessibility to donors

July 2010:
The Center officially
moves into 1301 E.
Colfax Avenue
September 2010:
1,000 community
members enjoy
the Grand Opening
Celebration

December 2010:
$2,767,970 raised

Revelers line up at The Center’s Grand Opening

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The Center’s
Cyber Center

I
With the creation of
The Transgender Career
Advancement Project, The
Center hopes to increase
participation in all
computer classes.

n the hope of helping members of the LGBT
community be more desirable candidates for
employment, The Center began offering formal
computer classes in 2010. The Center’s client data
shows that 40% of constituents earn less than
$20,000 per year. Key to helping these community
members enjoy a greater quality of life is education.
Microsoft classes covering the basics of Word, Excel,
and PowerPoint were offered in both English and
Spanish in the fall.
SAGEworks, a project of SAGE of the Rockies,
also offered computer classes for elders. Thursday
mornings was an introductory class for those not
familiar with computers, covering the basics and
essential uses. On Friday mornings, the computer
applications class was held, which taught different
software programs, internet browsing and even social
media. Teaching elders to utilize this technology

which seems ever-present in today’s society keeps the
mind active and even helps fight isolation.
On Monday nights, a class was offered on Adobe
Photoshop, InDesign and Creative Suite 5, all graphic
design software. Students learned to manipulate
photographs, design print materials, and website
design.
ith the creation of The Transgender Career
Advancement Project, The Center hopes to
increase participation in all computer classes.
On average, more than 100 community members use
the Cyber Center each week for employment searches,
internet access and printing capabilities. In today’s
technology-driven society, access to and familiarity
with computers is essential, and The Center is grateful
to be able to offer these resources in a safe and
accepting environment for the LGBT community. •

The Center’s Legal Helpline
assisted with over 330 contacts
seeking basic information
or referrals to LGBT-friendly
attorneys or agencies.

10

T

he Center’s Legal & Advocacy Program serves
as a watchdog for the LGBT community while
the Colorado Legislature is in session. It
played a primary role in working with the State
of Colorado regarding expansion of health
insurance benefits to domestic partners of state
employees through their rulemaking process. The
Center also fought legislation which could harm
the LGBT community such as the “religious bill of
rights” and actively supported positive legislation
such as the needle exchange bill. Work was also
done surrounding the 2010 U.S. Census and the
handling of sexual orientation and gender identity
both through local and national efforts.
The Center’s Legal Director spent a significant
amount of time in 2010 working in public
outreach and education. She conducted more
than 25 public speaking engagements during the
year, educating more than 800 attendees on the
five Colorado laws that offer protections to LGBT
citizens and their rights under these laws. This
also included a considerable amount of media
education relating to California’s Proposition 8
marriage equality case, potential hate crimes in
Colorado, and other LGBT legal areas.
The Center’s Legal & Advocacy Program
dedicated considerable resources to a pro

Other
Income
1.0%

For year ended Dec. 31, 2010 (unaudited)*

bono direct representation case involving the
application of the 2007 amendments to the
Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act, which include
protections on the basis of sexual orientation and
gender identity and expression. The case brought
attention to the discrimination that LGBT people
still face in the workplace, and efforts to improve
the reach of the state discrimination prohibitions
and to add these protections at the federal level
are continually underway.
he Center’s Legal Helpline assisted with over
330 contacts seeking basic information
or referrals to LGBT-friendly attorneys or
agencies. The majority of contacts are provided
with referrals or basic information over the phone.
The Legal Helpline this year created Spanish
language forms to increase the effectiveness
of our work. Throughout the year the program
utilized the talents of seven interns from both
University of Colorado and University of Denver
law schools, and introduced them to the world
of LGBT advocacy and legal work, planting the
seeds for the next generation to undertake the
fight for equality. Five of the interns handled
intake on the Legal Helpline, while the others
focused specifically on research for the direct
representation case.

T

•

Individual and Community
Contributions 6.8%
Government
Contracts
0.2%

SUPPORT AND REVENUE
Grants
Individual and community contributions
$
142,491
Capital
16.5%
Campaign
Government contracts
3,963
33.9%
Grants
345,558
Earned
Income
Earned income
636,631
Special
30.4%
Events
In-kind income
168,889
1.5%
Investment income
33,869
Special events
31,607
Investment
In-Kind Income 8.1%
income
Capital campaign
710,672
1.6%
Other income
21,375
Total support and revenue
2,095,055
Youth Services
Development and
EXPENSE
16.7%
Communications
Program services
10.1%
Legal and
Youth services
290,785
Advocacy
Legal and advocacy
136,066
Management
7.8%
and General
Community programs
14.3%
(Elders, transgender, cyber center and library)
261,837
PrideFest
631,405
Pride Fest
36.2%
Total program services
1,320,093
Community
Supporting Services
Programs
(Elders,
Management and general
249,718
Transgender,
Development and communications
175,885
Cyber Center
Total supporting services
425,603
and Library)
Total expense
1,745,696
15.0%
Capital Campaign
(to date)
Change in net assets
349,359
Net assets at beginning of year
1,827,957
Three Year Goal: $ 3,500,000
Net assets at end of year
$ 2,177,316
Individuals
$ 1,874,119
(Copies of audited financials available upon request)
Foundations
566,830
Corporations
43,020
City of Denver
250,000
Community
Organizations
34,001

P R OF I L E

CYBER
CENTER

Financials

John Kelly

Center Volunteer

J

ohn Kelly’s life story is one of service to his
country and his community. He was in the
United States Air Force from 1958-1967
and even managed to survive a “gay witch
hunt” in 1961 during which he was investigated
for being gay but managed to beat the charges.
He even went on to re-enlist.
Kelly eventually left the service and came out
of the closet at age 40 but his commitment to
service has never waned. Kelly became involved
in local gay veterans’ groups but health issues
forced him into retirement and boredom. A year

ago he became a member of the Denver GLBT
Commission and that led to increased activity
within Colorado’s LGBT community and The
Center.
“I love being a part of the Denver GLBT
Commission,” said Kelly.“And that became the
catalyst for other things. I started coming over
to The Center for Tuesday Morning Coffees
about a year ago and got involved in the SAGE
conference and even ended up on the advisory
council at The Center for SAGE of the Rockies.
In a matter of a year I’ve gone from just sitting
around on my duff to being here at The Center
20+ hours a week. I’m as excited as hell about
what we do here because in just the short
amount of time that I have been volunteering
here it has really made me aware of just how
important The Center is.”
Kelly has even gotten credentials through the
District Attorney’s Victim Advocate Program to be

$ 2,767,970

able to provide even more support to Colorado’s
LGBT community.
“When I got involved with the District
Attorney’s program I knew I had to take that
training back to the gay community. I’ve had
enough encounters working at the front desk
now just with people walking in or calling on
the phone - people making that first outreach
- to see firsthand what The Center means to
people and why they need it. There was a young
man who walked in here a week ago, escorted
by two police officers. He was the victim of
domestic violence and he needed help. Or to
see the mothers and their children coming into
Rainbow Alley - once you’ve seen stuff like that
there’s just no going back. When it comes to
The Center, anywhere I can get involved, I will
get involved and I will do whatever they need
me to do for as long as I’m able to do it.”

the staff and brings a smile to everyone she
greets when she is in the building. As one of The
Center’s Legacy Donors, she has included The
Center as one of the beneficiaries in her will. As
an ardent and tenured supporter to The Center,
she felt it appropriate to provide one final gift.
Each year, Linda plays Santa Claus to dozens
of kids. She collects a wish list from the youth
of Rainbow Alley, shops for them, and ensures
that each has a holiday gift. She likes to
purchase items the kids want and most likely
won’t get anywhere else. This is very much in
keeping with her giving and playful personality.
The tradition started in 1999 with her longtime partner Lin Bocher. At the time Lin and
Linda, who owns a flooring business, did all
the shopping and made all the purchases
themselves. The two met after Linda moved

to Denver from Mississippi in 1987, and were
together for 14 years.
After Lin passed away in 2002, Linda started
soliciting help from friends. She now calls
almost everyone she knows, and asks for
donations.
“I call it my hit list,” she said with a quick
laugh and all her Southern charm.
Linda is an unsung hero to Denver’s LGBT
community who has given so generously to
hundreds of youth over the last 12 years. When
thanked for everything she does for The Center,
she is adamant that she doesn’t do it all on her
own.
“Make sure to say I have helpers. I couldn’t
do this without the support of the community,”
she said, ever humble and gracious.

espite a 20-year interval spent living and
working in London, England, b. Frank has
considered Denver home since 1969. She
and partner Ronni McCaffrey met 15 years ago at
The American School in London where they were
both employed and the two returned to Denver to
live full-time in 2006.The move came as both a
culture shock and a wake-up call to the couple.
In the UK, b. and Ronni were legally recognized
as civil partners and had rights that are still
not accorded to same-sex couples in the US.
Having a legally recognized civil partnership was
immensely important to the couple and returning
to a country and a state that did not recognize
their partnership concerned them greatly. The two
debated whether they should continue to live and
work in Europe or return to the US and join in the
fight for LGBT civil liberties here. They chose to
return and to get involved by becoming supporters
of The Center.

“Living openly in a supportive community
was one of our primary goals,” said Frank.“We
believe that a viable and visible LGBT center is
indicative of a strong and vibrant community,
the kind of community in which we want to live.
The central location and visibility of the new
site for The Center are symbolic of how central
our community is to Denver and Colorado. By
supporting The Center we are- perhaps somewhat
selfishly- helping to create a community where we,
our friends, and our family can live open, honest
and productive lives.”